World War II is loaded with so much more than can be put into the history books. Here are 10 fascinating facts about World War II that were most likely washed over in your high school history book.
Stanisława Leszczyńska, Polish Midwife At Auschwitz Concentration Camp[1]
Stanisława Leszczyńska was a Polish midwife who was incarcerated at Auschwitz during World War II. At Auschwitz, she was assigned to the women’s camp maternity ward where she delivered approximately 3000 infants, 2500 of which didn’t make it, some with blue eyes were sent away to be “Germanized”, and about 30 babies who survived stayed with their mothers. Leszczyńska was instructed to euthanize the babies she delivered, but she refused, and did not kill one baby. She is now a candidate for sainthood by the Catholic Church.
image via Business Insider
Toilet Paper Rationing[2]
Found across a few different sites, was noted the toilet paper rationing for British and American soldiers during World War II. British soldiers got a ration of three sheets of toilet paper per day, Americans got 22.
Calvin Graham, Youngest Serviceman In US Military During World War II[3]
Calvin Graham enlisted in the United States Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942, when he was 12 years old! Graham attended his grandmother’s funeral without permission from the Navy, and it was then his mother who revealed his age which got him sent to the brig. He was released from the Navy on April 1, 1943. When he turned 17, he enlisted in the Marines, which ended when he fell and broke his back.
William Stuart-Houston, Image via WW2 Gravestone
Adolf Hitler’s Nephew, William, Served In The US Navy During World War II[4]
William Hitler was the son of Adolf Hitler’s brother, Alois Hitler, Jr. and his first wife, Bridget. Alois left Bridget and William in Liverpool in 1914 to travel throughout Europe to gamble, then World War I broke out separating the family – Alois in Germany, Bridget and William in Liverpool. Alois ultimately abandoned them, and William was raised by his mother. It wasn’t until he was 18 when he visited his father in Germany. In 1933 William returned to Germany in an attempt to take advantage of Adolf’s rise to power, asking his uncle to place him in a decent job. When Adolf Hitler asked William to give up his British citizenship for a job, William left Nazi Germany fearing a trap. For some time, William had been blackmailing his uncle, threatening to go to the press with embarrassing stories unless he got him a high-ranked job. His last blackmail attempt, before fleeing to London, was a threat of going to the press and revealing Hitler’s alleged paternal grandfather was Jewish. He actually published an article entitled, “Why I Hate My Uncle” for Look magazine upon his return to London. In 1939, while visiting the US at the invitation of William Randolph Hearst, William and his mother were stranded at the outbreak of the war. In 1944, William was cleared to join the US Navy as a Pharmacist’s Mate (aka Hospital Corpsman) and was discharged in 1947. After being discharged, he changed his last name to Stuart-Houston.
Max Heiliger’s Bank Accounts[5]
Max Heiliger is a fake name used to establish bank accounts to launder the valuables Nazi soldiers stole from European Jews, including money, gold, jewelry, and dental gold. “Heiliger” was a play on words, with heiliger meaning “saint”.
The Madagascar Plan[6]
In 1940, Franz Rademacher, who was head of the Jewish Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Nazi government during World War II, proposed that when Germany took control of France, the colony of Madagascar would be handed over to Germany as well – and there the Nazi government would, Franz proposed, relocate the European Jewish population. Hitler approved the plan on August 15th 1940, which would resettle one million Jews per year, over four years. The island would be a police state controlled by the SS. The plan was put on hold after losing at the Battle of Britain in September of 1940, and then abandoned completely when the Final Solution was put into motion.
The SS brothel, “The Kitty Salon”[7]
Image via Wikipedia
The Kitty Salon, or Salon Kitty, was a high-class brothel in Berlin used by the Nazi intelligence service during World War II. The brothel first opened in the 1930s, but was taken over by the SS in 1939, however, Kitty Schmidt – the original owner- managed the brothel during its existence. The plan was simple – seduction of both foreign and German dignitaries with women and booze in an attempt to get them to divulge their secrets and their true opinions of all things Nazi-related. Salon Kitty, and the intelligence gathering project, ended in a 1942 air raid that destroyed the building.
Norvell Gillespie, Designer Of Camouflage Print For US Service Uniforms In World War II[8]
Novell Gillespie was a horiculturist and garden editor for Better Homes and Garden – and the designer for jungle camouflage uniforms for use in the Pacific Theater. His design was nicknamed “frogskin”, because of its “spotty” pattern. The basic colors of greens and browns could be varied to tan and browns for use during the less-green times of the year. Since the German military was using a number of camo patterns, the US Army in Europe didn’t utilize it for fear that its own soldiers would be mistaken for the enemy.
Rudolf Hess Was The Last State Prisoner To Be Held At The Tower of London[9]
Rudolf Hess was Deputy Führer from 1933 to 1941, when he flew to Scotland – solo – to negotiate peace with the UK. Instead he was taken prisoner and convicted of crimes against peace. When Hess landed in Scotland, he insisted that his name was Horn, and was taken (under guard) to have his wounds treated. Once he was treated, and positively ID’d as Hess, he was moved to Buchanan Castle, then to Tower of London, and then to Mytchett Place. He was the last state prisoner to be held there.
The Ghost Army[10]
Image via Wikimedia
The Ghost Army’s mission: deceive the enemy by impersonating other Allied Army units. Officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, used visual deception (such as inflatable tanks, cannons, and airplanes), sonic deception (using mixed sounds of infantry units through amps and speakers), radio deception (impersonating real radio operators from real units, sharing false info), and “atmosphere” deception (impersonating other units deployed elsewhere). Their goal was to mislead, deceive, and confuse the German army, and many recruits were artists, actors, set designers, and engineers in their previous civilian life.
Sources:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82awa_Leszczy%C5%84ska
[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/21-rare-and-weird-facts-about-world-war-2-2015-8?IR=T/#1-the-first-german-serviceman-killed-in-the-war-was-killed-by-the-japanese-1
[2] http://www.businessinsider.com/21-rare-and-weird-facts-about-world-war-2-2015-8
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Graham
[3] http://list25.com/25-interesting-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-world-war-ii/
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Patrick_Stuart-Houston
[4] http://www.businessinsider.com/21-rare-and-weird-facts-about-world-war-2-2015-8?IR=T/#1-the-first-german-serviceman-killed-in-the-war-was-killed-by-the-japanese-1
[4] http://list25.com/25-interesting-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-world-war-ii/
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Heiliger
[5] http://list25.com/25-interesting-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-world-war-ii/
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_Plan
[6] http://list25.com/25-interesting-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-world-war-ii/
[6] https://www.factretriever.com/world-war-ii
[7]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon_Kitty
[7]https://www.factretriever.com/world-war-ii
[8]http://bgr.com/2015/10/21/the-evolution-of-us-military-camouflage/
[8]https://www.factretriever.com/world-war-ii
[9]https://www.factretriever.com/world-war-ii
[9]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prsoners_of_the_Tower_of_London
[9]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess
[10]http://www.kickassfacts.com/30-kickass-interesting-facts-about-world-war-2-part-1/
[10]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Army